The L.O.G.¹I did not come up with the title or agree to it. -EG²It’s cool! Like a video game. We had a vote, so it was totally fair. -GC]³And people say we’re bad at naming things. -S

Or: Planning for Retirement as a Supervillain is Hard. (Special Edition with commentary from major characters/people we bribed/coerced to read and comment.)

Prologue

Agent,

How would you like to do some shopping? Too bad, you’ll have to do it on your own budget.

We need you to surveil a shop in downtown Orange. It has not changed in over two decades, but the true owner is unknown. Its paper trail disappears into the fog of shell companies in Canada. The shop itself is a black hole in our records. Despite the local police station around the corner and a moderate crime rate on the streets nearby, there are no records of any police reports for the street directly outside the shop, nor do we have records of any calls for emergency services in that area. Canvassing has led us nowhere, as the locals refuse to talk to anyone with the wrong “vibes.”

The shop keeps odd hours, doing most of its business by delivery and opening at unpredictable times and days of the week. The couriers that deliver and pick up packages know nothing, though we have put them through extensive questioning and made generous offers for information. There is a high probability that the workers within the shop know at least some details, but that also means it is more dangerous to approach them directly. Especially if the owner is who we suspect it is. For now, your job is to observe and record who comes and goes and take special note of any known criminals and the frequency of their visits. Take note if they bring or take anything from the shop.

Report in before and after every shift and on the hour. If you miss a check-in by more than five minutes, we will consider you compromised. Do not trust anyone that approaches you. We do not know the extent of their network here, but rumor suggests that it may be vast. Remember to vary your appearance and methods. We have to assume the subjects are wary of possible surveillance and they will notice if you reappear in the same place too often.

Entering the shop is not recommended, but if you find an opportunity to do so with minimal risk, then do so. Reports suggest that nothing of value is on display, certainly no contraband, but we have not been able to confirm this up close.

The shop name: Fallen Antiques.

Asthael

This is the third iteration of the prologue, but I think this should be the final version now.